Kevin Gonzalez Sanchez
My Background
I grew up and was born in Santiago de Cuba, where clean water, consistent power, and secure infrastructure were not promises, but rather a challenge. The experience of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 made a strong impression on me: I witnessed how environmental systems, in the event of their failure, impact all aspects of life. The experience led me to the mission to create systems that do not merely work but safeguard, maintain and enable communities.
I am currently a senior majoring in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University, and I am interested in the overlap of sustainability, data-driven design, and environmental systems engineering. I work in water resources, air quality, waste management and renewable integration, and my objective remains the same: to develop smarter, cleaner, and more resilient solutions to a changing planet.
My practical experience is between research, design, and entrepreneurship. I co-created GoodieBag, a food waste reduction company that matches suppliers with consumers - winning 1st place at Silicon Flatirons Startup Summer and being named in the Denver Business Journal as a top emerging sustainability company. In my professional activity, I have also been involved in Yes Energy, where I was engaged in the analysis of U.S. power grid markets to understand how data, infrastructure, and demand interact across regional systems; as well as the application of AI-based processes automation to improve operational efficiency and product scalability.
Some of the projects that I have designed and implemented at FIU include a solar-powered weather station, a smart plant water reminder, and environmental lab systems of filtration, hydraulics, and water quality testing. These projects have reinforced my technical accuracy in CAD design (Fusion 360, AutoCAD), GIS mapping (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS), data modeling (Python, MATLAB), and environmental laboratory analysis, with a mixture of technical accuracy and creative systems thinking.
Ultimately, I would like to become a Sustainable Systems Engineer and Consultant creating environmental solutions that balance human needs with ecological integrity, from water and air quality management to urban sustainability planning and renewable resource integration. My goal is to make sustainability not just achievable, but practical and profitable for every community I serve.
Core Competencies
Sustainable Design • IoT Integration • Renewable Energy Systems • Environmental Data Analysis • CAD & GIS Modeling • Water Resources Engineering • Lifecycle & Cost-Benefit Analysis • Rapid Prototyping
Education
2024 - 2026
Florida International University - Miami, FL
B.S. in Environmental Engineering
Coursework:
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Senior Capstone Design, Engineering CAD, Fluid Mechanics, Hurricane Engineering, Environmental Laboratory I-II, Engineering Economics, Environmental Engineering for Global Sustainability, Solid Hazardous Waste Management, Dynamics for C.E. Systems, Ethics & Legal Aspects; Water Resources and Hydraulics; Air Quality.
2022 - 2024
University of Colorado Boulder - Boulder, CO
B.S. in Environmental Engineering
Coursework:
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Environmental Microbiology; Probability, Statistics and Decision; Environmental Organic Chemistry; Thermodynamics; Statics and Structures; Linear Algebra; Differential Equations; Heat Transfer; Water Chemistry; Engineering Computing and Data Analysis; Calculus III; Physics II.
2016 - 2019
Miami-Dade College - Miami, FL
A.A. in Civil Engineering
Coursework:
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Calculus I-II; Physics I; General Chemistry I-II; Critical Thinking & Ethics; Intro to Environmental Studies.
2013 - 2016
Mater Academy Charter High School - Hialeah G., FL
High School Diploma
Involvement:
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Spanish Honor Society
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National Honor Society
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Key Club
Experience
2024 - 2026
Undergraduate Student Researcher - Miami, FL
Florida International University
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Conducted isolation, purification, and amplification of bacteriophage from soil samples, applying aseptic technique, serial dilutions, plaque assays, and spot titer methods to generate and analyze results
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Prepared high-quality phage DNA for sequencing, and characterized morphology using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and gel electrophoresis
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Collaborated in a discovery based research program that integrated problem-solving, data analysis, and experimental design.
2023
Business Development Intern - Boulder, CO
Yes Energy
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Supported lead generation across U.S. power markets (ISOs, RTOs), building understanding of utility-scale energy systems.
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Collaborated with the sales and data analytics teams to understand energy market trends, including congestion pricing, generation dispatch, and grid load forecasting.
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Researched and proposed internal applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline data workflows, automate repetitive outreach tasks, and enhance market segmentation strategies
2020 - 2025
Retail Sales Expert - Various Locations
Apple• T-Mobile • AT&T
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Analyzed customer needs and engineered tailored technology solutions, integrating services, service plans, and software
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Consistently ranked in the top 10-15% of sales teams for performance
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Translated complex technical concepts into accessible solutions, assisting 50+ customers daily in troubleshooting, optimization, and adoption of new products and systems.
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Leveraged data tracking and performance metrics to identify sales trends, design targeted strategies, and drive customer satisfaction scores above 95%.
Awards
Silicon Flatirons Summer Startup Competition - 1st Place Winner
University of Colorado Boulder | Summer 2022
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Co-created the concept for Goodie Bag, a platform connecting local food shops with consumers to reduce food waste and food inequality.
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Awarded 1st Place among student startups, with the project later featured in the Denver Business Journal for its innovation and impact.
